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Reinholdt
Few men can claim they have ventured from one end of the Iron Kingdoms to the other and back, and even fewer gobbers can make such a bold statement. One of these diminutive creatures does more than just suggest, however; he downright insists he has been everywhere at least twice and seen it all at least once. Reinbaggerinzenholdt, or Reinholdt for short, claims to have seen many wondrous sights, from the throne room of Stasikov Palace to the glowing walls of Shyrr. He sports strange trinkets and baubles from all over Immoren, and his accent is nearly indistinguishable from that of the natives of wherever he happens to be at the time. Whatever the cause or source, Reinholdt is an endless font of esoteric facts and sometimes useful advice. Not an expert at anything in particular, he seems at least partially versed in whatever comes up at the moment. Even with the veracity of his claims in question, a number of warcasters and other military officers throughout western Immoren are willing to indulge him and periodically hire his services. Although he claims to have once worked as a bodger, Reinholdt has demonstrated little aptitude or interest in fixing things. In some cases it seems likely he is allowed to accompany those who hire him more for his conversational oddities than for any practical purpose. All the same he has proven his worth at unexpected times and places and has demonstrated a skill at several tasks that recommend him to his employers. Among the gobber’s skills is a knack for speedily reloading firearms. In fact, Reinholdt is entirely at ease manipulating volatile ammunition cartridges packed with explosive powder. Those officers who count themselves as riflemen or pistoleers have found this ability alone enough to make hiring him worthwhile. Reinholdt carries a host of trinkets and artifacts and makes great use of these “tools.” His brass Ordic spyglass with its fine lenses—which he says he received for helping beat back a Cryxian pirate invasion near Berck—is one of his favorites. The glass allows him to spot potential dangers from afar and estimate just how long it will take for those perils to cause him personal harm. Though it might take an employer a while to adjust to this seconds-to-impact method, Reinholdt is rarely off by much—and even then it is usually on the conservative side. Some claim Reinholdt’s mere presence has brought them luck, though proving such claims is difficult. Whatever luck he brings to others, Reinholdt seems to have led a charmed life. Despite his presence at countless battlefields across Immoren, he has never suffered a serious injury. He once sneezed himself out of a moving carriage into a patch of thornbriar bushes just before the carriage burst into flames upon hitting a powder trap set by brigands. Another time a blunderbuss shot deflected harmlessly off of a silver soup spoon in his pocket that he had “acquired” earlier that same day. Most often his survival has been the result of anticipating a threat and heading in the opposite direction. Reinholdt is not what one would call a hero. He is far more likely to run and hide than stick around if a situation gets too hairy. Indeed, he has been known to vanish from sight in typical gobber fashion when an enemy comes too close. If left with little choice, the resourceful chap searches his pockets and pouches for anything that might aid his escape. Few have the heart to hold these habits against him. Those who have become fond of his eccentricities often welcome him back to the table the next campaigning season.